Posted on 08/30/2007 8:28:09 AM PDT by Froufrou
A woman who complained that some fellow passengers spoke Arabic and "had odd behavior" prevented a Chicago-bound American Airlines flight from departing San Diego, police said Wednesday.
Flight 590, scheduled to depart at 11 p.m. Tuesday, left its gate about 11:15 but returned to the boarding area after the woman, who was traveling with at least one child, indicated she wanted to get off the airplane. The flight then was unable to make Lindbergh Field's 11:30 p.m. curfew for departures, said Irene McCormack, a spokeswoman for the San Diego Harbor Police.
The flight, carrying 126 passengers, was rescheduled for midmorning Wednesday and arrived in Chicago in the afternoon, an American Airlines spokesman said.
McCormack said it is unusual for planes to return to the gate. She said it's usually for medical and mechanical problems or a disturbance.
The woman first complained to the flight crew that four to seven men were possibly speaking Arabic in the boarding area. The woman added that they "had odd behavior." The crew decided to return to the boarding area because the woman indicated she wanted off the plane.
The American Airlines spokesman indicated the plane returned to its gates because of a dispute between passengers. The spokesman didn't provide details on the dispute.
A Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman said it returned because of "suspicious activity on board the plane."
Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Chicago, was upset about the airline's actions. He said television reporters told him that six Iraqi Americans were detained after a passenger became uncomfortable with the men speaking Arabic.
"It is one thing to flag suspicious behavior, but to flag a global language? We are deplaning people for who they are, not what they do," Rehab said.
The Associated Press reported Defense Training Systems had hired the men to train U.S. Marines at Camp Pendleton in California.
McCormack said no one was detained in the incident.
If they were Iraqi Americans maybe they could’ve spoken ENGLISH!!!! I am glad the lady did what she did, good job, ma’am.
IF YOU CAN’T SPEAK ENGLISH, STAY OFF OF OUR AIRPLANES!
I certainly wouldn’t get upset just by hearing arabic spoken (after all, I grew up hearing it from my grandparents). I would hope that the “suspicious behavior” was more than just the language they were speaking. We need more details.
Individual people will “racial profile” whether the government (and TSA) sanction it or not. That’s the kind of self-protective impulse that arises when one “global language group” of men traveling in packs fly airplanes into buildings, killing three thousand of our citizens and starting a war.
Apparently nobody has read this line.
Same here, the fact that our ever-caring MSM sees fit not to delve into the details of the “suspicious behavior” has my spider-sense tingling.
It may have been a party of “iraqi-americans” speaking arabic or another case of the baddies and their sympathizers trying to see how far they could push things.
I agree. Arabic language in and of itself wouldn’t upset me. I too await further details. On the other hand, I don’t volunteer to be the one to tell people who are nervous about boarding a plane with a group of Arab-speaking males that they have “nothing to worry about”. That’s definitely not a job I want.
“Iraqi-Americans”? Speak English. I’d report you too! Salute to the woman!
“If it walks like a duck...”
It’s ‘trust but verify’ all over again...
Since when is arabic a *global language*? I didn't know the whole world spoke it? Or did he slip and reveal the plans they have for us?
If there wasn't such a strong correlation between who they were and what they do, they might have a point. Otherwise, shut up.
Good for the woman.
Iraqis training U.S. Marines in what, how to spot terrorists? Arabic language classes?
Good! “See or hear something suspicious, report it!”
I don’t see things getting any better in the near future especially when we have an organization like CAIR whining about apparent “profiling”.
I say “profile away”! If the 9-11 hijackers were “milk-white Swedes” then I’d say “profile milk-white Swedes!”
Maybe if some of the Arab speaking population of the US would get up and publicly proclaim that Islam is flawed, that Islam seeks to make slaves of people, and please, all you Islamics out there, don’t think you can import your particularly hideous form of slavery to America, then maybe the sound of Arabic would engender a much more sympathetic response among the general public.
Whoa, who is Defense Training Systems, and why are they hiring Arabic-speaking trainers???
The lady did her part by being vigilant. Cudos to her! I have no doubt that these fellers were up to something, perhaps testing the system further.
“The Associated Press reported Defense Training Systems had hired the men to train U.S. Marines at Camp Pendleton in California.”
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That could be it. If these guys were hired to play the enemy in those high-tech shoot-out simulators/street sets that they run our soldiers through in training then it’s no wonder they looked and smelled villainous.
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